The indictment of former President Donald Trump was excellent for fundraising, according to new data from his 2024 campaign. According to Politico, Trump’s overall earnings for the first quarter of the year were nearly $168,000 per day. However, $4 million flowed in within a day of his New York indictment on March 30.
According to Republican digital strategist Eric Wilson, “Anytime a candidate’s name is all over the media and dominating attention, it’s good for fundraising. The nonstop coverage just made donors think of him.”
Trump has emphasized his court disputes in his fundraising appeals. One of the campaign emails states, “With the witch hunts heating up like never before, please make a contribution to stand with me in the fight to SAVE AMERICA.”
The indictment of Trump has only led to record fundraising, record polling numbers against primary opponents to the point of no return, and endorsements are reaching new heights. pic.twitter.com/gEHe5OHZm4
— @garibaldi_the_great (@flamingarrow98) April 17, 2023
Small donations were made in response from supporters; according to Trump staff, more than 97% of them contributed less than $200 in the two weeks following their candidate’s arrest. Compared to what Trump brought in as president, these sums are paltry. For his reelection campaign, he raised more over $30 million in the first quarter of 2019.
After spending $3.5 million in the first quarter, the Trump presidential campaign reported having $13.9 million in cash on hand as of March 31. In contrast, Nikki Haley, a former UN ambassador, only has $7.8 million on hand.
On the other side, the groups supporting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have significantly more money, with one claiming to have $85 million in cash.
Officials from Trump did not specify whether the increase following the indictment continued into the first quarter of the second quarter. More information should be available in a Trump report that is due to the Federal Election Commission before Saturday.